Armament 1: Slig’s Brigade
by AlexFili
Summary: The first part of the Armament series. Follow Marek and his squad of mercenaries as they undertake dangerous missions. This was my first ever Oddworld fanfic.


=== Armament 1: Slig's Brigade===

=== Chapter 1: Differences===

Sligs come in many shapes and sizes. Small and short, stocky and tall, some were odd. The environments where they live show subtle, yet influential differences as well.

Marek has probably one of the best pairs of lungs in the whole Slig population. He was born into the very first smoke-free industrial factory. Although most Sligs found this quite a shock, eventually they realized how much moolah they could save, but also how much increase in lifespan they got in return.

Krisso had a more violent upbringing than most Sligs, as he was part of the 15 hour watch team in a factory which houses many dangerous and wild creatures. While this served as good practice, he has learned some harsh lessons about life. He made some friends in that factory, with which he told many daring stories. He was quite a role model to the other Sligs, and was always happy to lend a hand for a friend in need. He got a lot of physical fitness training while in the factory, so he is more athletic than most other Sligs.

Reint started life in a very different way. He was in a violence-free environment, a meat factory near one of the largest forests. The interesting new Glukkon ethic of treating Mudokons and Sligs in exactly the same way, no violence/no problems, proved to be quite a good moolah-maker, as there was little need for replacements or medical expenses. The Sligs acted more as guards then slavemasters, and the Mudokons got a better deal when it came to work. However, other Glukkon rivals didn't want this kind of ethic to succeed and many sent their own thugs and vandals to try and stir up trouble. Thankfully the Glukkon in charge of security had a promising idea. Battle at close-range typically involves a lot of blood being spilt, mostly innocent blood, so the idea was to kit out Sligs with long-distance sniper rifles. If they could fire from a distance, they could effectively stop the rebels dead in their tracks, before they even got near the workforce. The skill set was different to a rifle, but many of the Sligs coped relatively well with the change in armament. Reint was especially keen to try out the new equipment. He was one of the first Sligs to purchase night-vision goggles, continuing to use the first pair he ever received.

That was in the past, the three Sligs now work for a higher power.

They stood side by side, waiting for their orders.

The name of the leader was Marek. The weapon he carelessly twirled around in his fingers like a baton was the ever powerful Moch .36 Revolver.

Capable of armour-piercing, quite deadly, in the right hands, his hands.

His quick-draw skills were perfected, allowing him ample time to shoot his 6 shots, and then reload; ready for the next strike, with two revolvers he was even more deadly.

He knows the best way to disarm an enemy Slig, one shot in the lower arm, just above the wrist. Not only is there a lot of pain, but their weapon becomes useless as they become too weak to hold the weapon up properly.

On his right, the shorter but faster, Krizzo. Whereas most Sligs like standard issue rifles to some extent, few can move around the battlefield with such ease as Krizzo. He can keep up with the majority of opponents he faces, outmatching them in stamina, quick thinking and wit. He keeps his rifle on burst-fire setting, and keeps a steady aim at virtually any speed. He is often the first to taunt in battle, and the last to comment about how badly his opponents were beaten. Impressing people is something he enjoys immensely.

On his left, his taller second-in-command, Reint. He was a patient Slig, who would often keep watch for long periods of time without taking more then five minutes of break in his allotted shift. At night, he was even more so, staring into the night as long as physically possible. He even got a night-vision visor fitted, which was not cheap. He is accurate to an astonishing degree with any gun, but his true skill is with a Varmint Mod-3 Sniper Rifle. He is able to pick off targets from a long distance with ease. He can even predict changes in the wind, adjusting his aim to an amazing degree to correct any misaligned shot.

Marek's Squad, a force to be reckoned with, although they didn't just accept any job thrust upon them. They were mercenaries for hire, but with a purpose. They only took jobs that they felt comfortable with, always weighing the risk with reward, and this next assignment would be very risky.

"Lock n' load" said Marek.

=== Chapter 2: Similarities===

While the Sligs had different experiences in adolescence, their experiences while young can affect their lives in ways beyond compare. Sligs often go through different experiences, but they often learn the same lessons during the way. Trust, Honesty, Deception, Strength… Ignore them at your peril.

Before Sligs can be stationed at a guard post, they must first learn the key skills needed to survive. Literacy, Numeracy, Crawling, Walking, Flying, History, Geography, Biology, Business Lessons (always with a Glukkon teacher) and of course, Target Practice.

Naturally some lessons follow a linear pattern, crawling before walking, literacy before business, and so on. However, does it really matter if a Slig learns History before Geography? Wouldn't History benefit from knowing exactly what types of landscapes there were? Yet, how can you teach Geography without mentioning the historical formation of volcanoes or rivers?

At one (short) point during Marek's life, he thought that mountains and hills were exactly the same. Naturally this is something that we can laugh about now, but when you are younger your perspective is different from others, you lack the experience and knowledge to understand what exactly it is that you learn and how it benefits you.

The first time Krisso wore Flying Pants, he crashed into the side of the hangar, and got himself a nice big bruise to show off to the other Slig classmates. Of course this is down to inexperience, but even something as simple as this event can benefit the Slig in question. Would Krisso have made friends more easily if he hadn't crashed his Flying Pants? Usually it's differences that make for interesting stories, not similarities.

If everyone had the exact same day, would it be fun to tell another person? No.

Reint often asked many questions to his teachers, some of which are beyond the scope of a typical Slig. Reint was able to study easily, and felt like reading was his way of obtaining knowledge and experience, but some things you can't read from a book.

Reint fell over the first time he ever wore Slig Pants.

Most Sligs typically grow up in a healthy environment, and use their skills to choose a job with the prospect of developing their chosen skills further. As Glukkons, using Sligs as security guards might come as second nature. Are Glukkons purely selfish this way? Sure, they can get guards without paying them much, but Glukkons are offering the Sligs a chance of having meaning in their life, where otherwise there might not be meaning.

Sligs accept the job knowing there is risk involved, but appreciate that with risk comes reward. Do you take a chance and get lucky? Or do you stay where you are, and hope for change? Change cannot happen without action.

Krisso knew that whenever Marek said "Lock n' load", you only had one chance to reload your weapons and check your equipment, before it was too late. That time was now.

Krisso checked his rifle, it was fine. Safety off, clip in, mask adjusted, ready.

Marek put six bullets into his revolver, spun the chamber, and then held it still.

Reint turned his night-vision goggles on, replied "Roger" and loaded ten shots into his Sniper Rifle.

Reint then spoke, "We know the mission spec, eliminate the rogue Scrabs… The spec said about twenty Scrabs, but I wouldn't trust those numbers. It sounds more like thirty to me, let's crack on shall we?"

Marek and Krisso nodded. Soon, they would have no choice.

"Alright, take one down, let's bring them to us", Marek's tone was deadly serious, yet, he spoke with the very inspiration a leader should have.

Reint replied with a simple, "You got it".

He lifted his Sniper Rifle, took aim.

BANG

The first shot, one kill, that Scrab didn't stand a chance.

Soon the Scrab cries could be heard, and they knew, the hunt was on.

=== Chapter 3: Ferocity ===

The Scrab let out a final cry of rage, and then fell silent for eternity.

Reint was correct, there were about twenty-eight Scrabs, give or take.

All the attention of the Scrabs was now fixed upon the three Sligs, standing over a hundred yards away; they could smell the gunpowder now.

Reint knew that the Scrab's period of indecision would be short, so made sure not to waste any time. Reint began shooting towards the Scrabs. His aim was spot on, targeting each Scrab and then moving his sight to the next one. No delay, flawless reactions.

As Reint reloaded his weapon, ten Scrabs lay on the ground now, motionless.

The alpha Scrab decided to attack, and started to charge towards the Sligs. Some Scrabs were undecided but most started to follow behind the alpha male.

Krisso and Marek acted soon after this, taking out their weapons and deciding which Scrabs to attack first. Marek took aim with his revolver, looking towards the head of the nearest Scrab, he shot two bullets, one connected with the head of the Scrab. He may not have the same accuracy or range as Reint, but he knew that he was likely to at least hit part of the Scrab from that distance, even if the bullets were slightly off-target.

Krisso aimed his rifle towards two Scrabs who were nearest to each other, he fired twice, the six shots from his burst-fire rifle managed to do heavy damage to the Scrabs. He looked around and spotted some more Scrabs coming from another direction, he changed the angle of his rifle, and shot the alpha Scrab. Marek shot another Scrab headed towards him, and reloaded.

The Scrabs realised they were running into a trap, changing their patterns, they started to run through the bushes, in order to gain cover. Reint lost the advantage of surprise. His aim was less likely to be on target now, so he acted more defensively. He managed to pick off two Scrabs which were moving less quickly than the others. Krisso reloaded his weapon.

Marek now had the advantage, mid quarter battles enabled him to get a good shot in with his revolver. As three Scrabs moved closer, Marek fired six shots. Two Scrabs fell down in pain, one shifted to the side, the injury wasn't deep enough. Marek reloaded his revolver, shot the wounded Scrab, and managed to deal a deadly blow to another Scrab which was approaching from the other side.

As three Scrabs ran towards Krisso on his right side, he shot towards them, pressing the trigger five times. The Scrabs fell to the floor with a dull thud. Reint shot two more Scrabs approaching from Marek's blind spot.

The Scrabs were now getting closer and closer to the Sligs. As Marek shot another Scrab's torso, one Scrab stepped on one of the mines that Reint planted beforehand.

The last Scrab decided that it was not worth the risk, and ran off in the opposite direction.

Reint fired a last shot, immobilizing it. Their mission was now a success.

Krisso reloaded his rifle, and in satisfaction remarked, "Marek, let's de-activate the other bombs."

Marek and Reint however, were feeling less confident in their success. Krisso wondered why they looked so downhearted, so Reint explained; "My rifle isn't as useful when the enemy is aware of our presence."

Marek agreed and added "I don't normally fight so many enemies at once either. I can't shoot them all at once without reloading in-between!"

Krisso smiled, "Alright, alright! I get you!". Marek and Reint smiled back, they couldn't help but feel that Krisso was satisfied at a job well done, so they might as well just enjoy their rewards. Marek tapped the colour on the landmine, to de-activate it. He locked the power mechanism and then put it in the bag with the other unused mines.

Once they finished their preparations, they put on their backpacks, and then used Flying Pants to head for home. Kolon the Glukkon would be waiting for them.

=== Chapter 4: Downtime ===

As they approached the landing strip of Magog Mineralz, a fellow Slig waved his fluorescent batons at them, indicating where they should land. As they began lowering altitude, they spotted some other Flying Sligs headed south. Krisso recognized one of them, "Hey Kash, go get 'em buddy!", giving him a high-five as he passed by.

They landed on the landing strip, equipping their Walking Pants. The baton waver called Atto came over. "Welcome back, Kolon wants to see you". Marek thanked him, beckoning his squad inside the building.

Magog Mineralz was built on a waterfall, a few hundred miles away from West Mudos. They made the finest mineral water in Oddworld and also co-operated with the Vykkers to make more effective medicines.

Kolon was the Glukkon in charge here. He was a firm but fair businessman, often in close contact with the Slig Commander, Voll. There were about a hundred Sligs employed here. There were a few guarding Mudokons but most of them were trained and transferred from other factories, who would often do trade deals and partnerships.

Reint approached the voice lock and entered the desired phrase. Past the voice lock, they headed to Kolon's office. They knocked, waited, and then entered the office.

Kolon was standing by the window of his office. His office was decorated with paintings, coloured graphs and a large Glukkon voice controlled machine. "Come in", Marek and his team walked into the room. "Quicker than I expected! I assume the task was completed as requested?"

"Yes sir", Reint replied. "We took care of the Scrabs, that land will be useful to you sir".

"Yes, yes!" Kolon enthusiastically voiced his approval. "A job well done, that's 5,000 moolah between ya". "Thank you sir", Marek had a confident look about him; he knew that Kolon was very pleased with their progress. "Now, onto business", Kolon sat at his chair, took out a cigar, and ushered them onto the seats in front of his desk.

"We have some more assignments for ya, let me know when yer ready for the next one." Kolon took a puff of the cigar, looked out of the window, and continued. "Voll wants to personally congratulate yer on a job well done. I'll see yer next week to discuss assignments, yer can go now". "Yes sir", Krisso stood up first, leading his companions out of the office.

No sooner had they got out of the office they say another young Slig called Yars, he told them Voll was on his way to the Slig barracks to meet up in a few hours time. The Sligs went to a nearby bar, and met up with some friends.

Rokko, Vinn and Kray were here. "Hey buddy, long time no see!". Marek responded with "Hi Kray, been up to much?". They talked about how their weeks went, and what they missed.

"One of the Mudokons escaped?!". Reint was quite shocked, "Yeah, Rokko and me saw it happen, he just ran outside of the gates and never came back! Thanks to union rules we can't shoot em' anymore!" everyone laughed at Vinn's joke.

The Sligs stayed and talked for a while, then made their way to their Slig Barracks to talk to Voll. They got there a few minutes beforehand, unloaded their equipment and waited for their commander.

=== Chapter 5: Volatile ===

At the exact time requested, Voll entered the Slig Barracks. The atmosphere completely changed, Sligs stopped talking and started to look towards the door, making motions to go to other rooms in the Slig Barracks. "I've got that report here for you sir", Yars handed the piece of paper to Voll. "Excellent work Yars, get some fresh air", "Yes sir!". Yars then closed the door behind him, leaving Marek and his crew alone with Voll.

Voll was older than the average Slig. His skin was a shade darker than normal, he wore enhanced Slig armour, with a small black commander's cape. His arm bore the Slig Barracks coat of arms, slightly lower lay his commander tattoo. He was part of the previous generation of Sligs, born to a different queen.

Reint motioned to put down the ammunition he was sorting, Voll said "No need Reint, I won't keep you long". Reint straightened himself up, and gave Voll a curt nod of his head.

Voll gestured to the seats in front of him, the Sligs sat down. Voll gave a smile and said "Good job on that latest assignment by the way, I'll be keeping my eye on your progress".

"Incidentally, did you hear about the escaped Mudokon?", the Sligs nodded. Voll continued, "A brief lapse in security, it's hard to see them muds in the dark. What can I say, the management can't really put too much pressure on the muds, the relationships are strained right now as they are… we can't go shootin' every mud that tries to make an escape."

Krisso spoke next "How is the Slig morale lately sir?". Krisso expected Voll to look concerned about this, but Voll actually looked happier after being asked this question.

"Not too bad actually, the wages have never been better, squad morale has been at a high lately.", Voll paced slowly around the room as he spoke. "Rokko's group are getting on quite well, I've never seen anyone so skilled with a mini-gun. Flying Squad are getting plenty of work now as well, Kash got promoted to vice-captain not that long ago."

Marek placed his revolver in his locker and sat back down. "Kolon spoke to me a few weeks ago that we would be getting some new Slig recruits, have they arrived yet?". Voll replied "Yes, they have. You might recognize one already, Yars. He's a rookie but still eager to prove his worth. In fact, many of the Slig recruits are ready for action.", Voll sat down, "Yars is skilled with a Blitzknife, you know, those electric swords?". Voll paused and sat back in his chair.

Reint wanted to ask something, "Commander Voll, did you manage to carry out our request?". "I did, your squad is in need of new recruits and Kolon has agreed to allow the recruiting of two new Sligs for your protection squad. We have some new equipment from ya' as well, Vykker-made, new sets of masks and a redesigned communication system."

Krisso asked how much the squad owed the Slig Barracks for these items. Voll told them he didn't need money from them. This was a reward for their hard work. Marek still gave him a few hundred moolah anyway, just to show respect. Voll took it gladly, and stood up.

"I remember when you first started out, the four Sligs of Marek's Squad…", of course, none of the Sligs could ever forget the brave Slig, Udra. "Be proud, you inspire the other Sligs here, I will leave you to your preparations". Voll started walking towards the exit.

Marek stood up also, "Before you go sir, can you arrange for Yars to get in touch with us?". Voll smiled again "Aha, I see your eye for good recruits hasn't dimmed in the slightest. Yars is one of the top junior Sligs here. Of course, I'll let him know that you're interested."

Marek's Squad saluted Voll, the commander left the Slig Barracks. Reint then turned his attention to the assignment documents. "Should we look through them now?".

=== Chapter 6: Dossier ===

Krisso put his rifle down on his bunk bed, coming over to where Reint stood. "What does it say?".

Reint smiled, but the smile soon faded as he looked at the paper and read the contents.

Reint shuddered, dropping the papers to the floor. Surely his eyes had betrayed him. Could this really be happening again?

Marek walked over. He barely had to glance at the piece of paper to see what got Reint so riled up about. In once quick glance he could see the words; Mudokon, Terrorist, Exterminate and the names of popular Mudokon Terrorists.

Marek stamped his foot on the ground in anger. "When will these idiots realise that we don't get involved with these kinds of missions?!". Krisso shook his head in dismay, "It's been a while since we got one of THOSE assignments".

Reint promptly picked up the piece of paper, putting it in the furnace. Marek nodded in approval and his eyes were fixed on the other pieces of paper. "Let's see here… Renegade Sligs, Glukkon Escort…", they each read through the mission dossiers in turn, and discussed their options with each other.

Reint took one of the papers. "I like the sound of this escort mission, Farda of CheapMeeps, I wonder who's after him?". Krisso replied, "Probably some bounty hunters, I wouldn't be surprised if some other Glukkons are behind this."

Marek agreed that whenever Glukkons were involved with an escort mission, there were secret vendettas that were probably best left to them. "Nevertheless, the pay is good and we can handle something like this."

Marek took the piece of paper and put it on his desk. "I'll ring them in the morning and tell them that we accept".

Krisso held the other piece of paper, "Let's hang on to this one for a while, it might come in handy". Marek agreed. It only said 'capture', not kill. He didn't often eliminate other Sligs and only when he had good reason.

Marek then wrapped up proceedings, "Alright that's enough for one day, let's get some shut-eye".

Reint and Krisso proceeded to their bunks. They told a few funny stories about recent events, and then fell asleep fairly quickly.

The next day, a security Slig was talking on a phone. "Yes, right, you want to accept the terms then? Alright, I'll let Farda know where you are and what time you will arrive here. Okay, bye for now". The Slig hung up the receiver and then proceeded into the next room.

"Sir, Marek's Squad accepted the mission".

Farda puffed his cigar and smiled "Alright, now things are starting to swing in our favour". Farda rotated his chair so it faced the window. "Dalto, exactly how much moolah do we still have?"

"About twenty thousand boss!". Dalto's enthusiasm was infectious. "Well, let's just hope we can get that loan".

Farda then proceeded to tell Dalto exactly where he was going to get his loan from. Dalto smiled and agreed. Their plan would be a good one.

Krisso woke up later than the other two. He was still thinking about Udra. He spoke quietly to himself, as he got out of bed. "Udra, why did something like that have to happen?".

Reint handed Krisso the morning paper and a bottle of Brew.

=== Chapter 7: Yars and Bars ===

Yars raised his BlitzKnife, slicing right through the metal target. Yars took his BlitzKnife and threw it into the next metal target. The target split in two halves, the BlitzKnife was deeply embedded in the target area across the torso.

"Good, now pick up the pace".

Voll's voice had power behind it, as he motivated Yars onward to the next challenge.

Yars swiftly took care of five more metal targets. Yars then faced a massive metal target, similar in size to a Big Bro. He held the BlitzKnife at arms length, bend his arm to form an L shape, charging the Knife. A few seconds later he struck the metal target in the center, the metal object cracked first, and then split into hundreds of pieces.

Yars took the BlitzKnife, deactivated it, placing in it's holster just below the back of his neck.

"Impressive Yars, you'll be good to go in no time now. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Voll, sir".

Yars walked out of the training area, secretly pleased with his performance.

Krisso finished his breakfast and made his way over to where Marek and Reint were talking. Reint was in the middle of a story, "… and that's how it was, I never saw him again. Having said that, he did seem very depressed that day, maybe he decided to walk out of that place? Anyway, long story short, I got his bunk."

Krisso was eager to join up with the rest of the Sligs over in the main complex. "I want to see Rokko, he should be in one of the guard posts nearby". Marek nodded and made his way to the doorway. Reint stood up, put his rifle around his back and joined him.

After talking with Rokko, Krisso headed over towards the bar. He bought some Brew for his pals, looking over his shoulder. Some Sligs were doing some dancing over in the corner, there were about eight or so of them now. One Slig was doing karaoke in the opposite corner. The Glukkons were sat in a VIP room, near the back of the bar.

Atto walked into the bar. "Man my arms are killing me, I think I waved these a bit too much today!". He put his fluorescent batons down on the table and sighed. Reint put his hand round his shoulder and said sarcastically "It's a tough life, eh?". Atto looked at Reint and laughed.

Marek watched as Voll went past the bar with some armoured guards. Marek raised an eyebrow. "It's not like Voll to walk around with escorts". Marek took another swig and then proceeded to talk with Krisso.

Since Yars was a rookie, he didn't know where a lot of the facilities were. He looked at the nearest map, finding what he was looking for.

Yars entered the bar, sitting on a seat next to Marek. "Hiya Marek!". Marek smiled and responded, "I heard you did well in training today. I'll be happy to take you on board". Yars nodded, "I've been looking forward to some real action. I want to prove that rookies can make a difference".

Krisso bought him a Brew and told him a couple of stories about when he was a rookie.

"… and then, I remembered. My pants were under my bed all along!". The Sligs all laughed, banging their glasses together in a friendly manner. Tonight was a nice to remember.

A thundercloud passed over the building, the rain began.

=== Chapter 8: Worst Intentions ===

A few minutes passed, Yars came back to the table carrying a tray of brew.

It was not long after that the all of the lights in the bar started flickering.

Marek looked up, "That's odd, I've never seen that happening before".

Without warning, a lightning bolt hit one of the communication towers, the room went pitch black, all electronics in the room shut down.

"Awwww", Krisso spilled his drink. Everyone was talking and looking around now, the atmosphere was different now.

Yars stood up, and activated his BlitzKnife's secondary function, as a temporary torch.

Reint got to his feet, "Could this have something to do with Voll's escorts?".

None of the Sligs answered, they feared the worst and all headed for the exit.

One of the Glukkons was irritated and was yelling at the top of his lungs.

The security orbs floating around the main hallway began lighting up more than usual, acting as a kind of emergency lighting system.

Yars led the way down the hallway, "Voll said he was going to head to the East sector today, he never said what for". Marek was getting restless, "I just hope Voll's alright. He's been a good commander to us all".

As Krisso went around the corner, he spotted something out of the ordinary. One of the escorts was slumped against a wall. Krisso ran towards him, realizing that he had been shot in the lower torso on his left side. "Are you alright bud? What happened?". The Slig was clearly in no fit state to talk, he was trying desperately to stop the wound from bleeding. "Voll... He's in danger...".

Reint took out his medipak and sat down next to him. "I'll help him, go make sure Voll is alright". Marek nodded and the other Sligs headed down the hallway.

As Marek turned around the next corner, he ducked and barely avoided being shot. He realised that it was not a rogue Slig, but a malfunctioning piece of machinery. Vykker-made, he thought to himself.

Voll's yell could be heard nearby, Marek had to act fast.

=== Chapter 9: Stray Bullets ===

Marek looked at his weapon, there was no way a revolver could stop a rampaging robot on the loose. He looked at Krisso, there was no way he could beat it either. Krisso only had his backup rifle with him, with not nearly enough ammo.

Yars spoke next. "I can handle this, I've trained enough". Marek doubted the young Slig's talent, but unfortunately he had no choice. Krisso told Marek that he could act as bait, and get the robot's attention.

Krisso looked around the corner to see Voll and his escort behind a slab of metal, the robot standing around 50 feet away. The escort wasn't injured, but his pants had been shot, one of the metal legs was broken off, twitching randomly.

Krisso started to sprint, luring the robot away from Voll. As the robot turned towards Krisso, Marek took aim with his revolver and shot one of the robot's optic receptors, the robot became confused. Yars crept along the wall silently. A few seconds later, he activated his BlitzKnife and sliced the arm off the robot in a single stroke. Before the robot could retaliate, Yars sliced off the robot's head. The robot de-activated, the electrical systems shut down.

Voll stood up, "Thanks kid, that was a close one". Yars de-activated his BlitzKnife and went to help the escort Slig find some pants. Marek walked up to Voll, "What happened sir?".

Voll revealed what happened. While heading to a high-security prison facility in the compound, a stray lightning bolt hit the communications tower. This robot was somehow affected by the lightning and suddenly became activated, firing at the nearby Sligs. It had been close to Voll when the machine suddenly started making wild movements. Voll thought this was suspicious and ushered his guards forward. The machine gave chase, one of the escorts nearly tripped while approaching the corner, ending up getting shot by the machine. The robot was more concerned with Voll and the other escort, so the other Slig managed to escape with a minor injury, hidden in an alcove just across from the hallway.

Voll wiped his forehead. Yars managed to acquire a new pair of pants for the escort, who thanked him gladly. Voll got a radio call from the prison facility. All of the power was back online and the prison was secure. Voll continued to talk on the radio, giving Marek and the others a salute before running off.

Marek sighed, "Well that was a close one, Good job there Yars".

The escort seemed embarrassed. "Um... gotta see a Slig about a Slog, bye".

Krisso smiled, and headed back the way they came.

Halfway along they met Reint, who explained that the other escort had been taken to the medical facility. Marek told Reint what happened.

Elsewhere, Kolon was making some very angry phonecalls to his Vykker suppliers.

=== Chapter 10: We Prepare ===

Marek and his squad prepared for their next assignment. Reint was busy fixing a scope to his sniper rifle. As Reint clicked it into place, Krisso came back in the room. "Man, I can't wait to get some action."

Rokko came in about a minute later, and asked Krisso where they were going.

Krisso sat down and started cleaning his rifle. "We have to guard a Glukkon, Farda. He's a pretty popular Glukkon, though his moolah ain't looking too good nowadays. We have to make sure that no one tries to bump him off on his way to Zorbs place."

Rokko nodded, "Alright pal, good luck out there man". He shook Krisso's hand and then left the room.

Reint was counting the number of UXB mines they had left, at least five… no wait, there was another one at the bottom of the backpack.

Yars came in shortly after, Marek filling him in on the mission details. "Listen, when we're out there, we have to look out for each other. Guard each other's backs at all costs. We aren't some ragtag band of mercenaries. We look out for each other".

Reint put his rifle on his shoulder. "The most important thing, is to keep calm at all times. When everyone else is losing their heads, you are keeping yours, looking for the right moment to take action".

Krisso nodded, "Don't sweat it kid, you'll be fine". Yars nodded, Marek looked at him. "Listen, you'll still need a backup weapon, just in case your BlitzKnife fails on you".

Yars looked back, "I think you're right, I've got a few spares in my locker". Yars went out of the room for a minute or so, and came back with his locker contents. "Where can I put these?". Krisso turned his head, "Um, Put them in the locker over there", motioning to a locker next to Marek. Yars read the notice on the top of the locker, "Udra? Can I ask who that is?".

Marek looked at Yars with a concerned expression. "Udra, used to belong to my squad".

Marek told Yars all about Udra. Throughout the story, Yars's expression went from interest, to shock, to concern and finally he settled on being speechless.

Krisso hung his head low, wishing that Udra was still with them.

Yars decided to change the subject. "I'll stick with the sniper rifle I think". Yars took out his sniper rifle, a Quentar. Reint looked towards it, "Oh wow, that takes me back. I used to practice on Quentars all the time!". Yars smiled, "Any tips for me?".

Reint sighed. "Well, the trigger is easily breakable. The scope is fine, but decreases power slightly… Let's see…", Reint picked up the weapon, "Ammo size is .58, like mine, aim is slightly twisted, hold on a sec…", Reint gave the weapon a little click, and twisted the nozzle slightly, "correction: aim WAS slightly twisted… a powerful weapon".

Yars took his weapon back, "Thanks, I have a fairly steady aim when it comes to it". Reint nodded, "That's good to know, but remember, sniping is not your main skill, so don't attempt any shots longer than about a hundred yards or so".

Yars agreed, "I'll just back you up".

"Alright", Marek said, "Let's get going".

Marek, Krisso, Reint and Yars made some final preparations and left the barracks.

Voll gave them a salute as they passed. Atto wished them luck, directing them where to go with his fluorescent batons. The Sligs changed equipment to Flying Pants, and flew in the direction of CheepMeeps. The journey would take a few days.


End file.
